Conveying apparatus



No. 623,328. Patented Apr. I8, |899. T. S. MILLER.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

(Application led Jan. 18, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

No Model.)

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CoNvEi/ine APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 623,328, dated April 18', 1899.

Application tiled January 18, 1897. Serial No. 619,522. (No model.)

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Be it known that l, THOMAS SPENCER MIL- LER, a citizen ot theUnired States, and a resident of South Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Oonveying' Apparatus, of which the followingis a specification.

Myimprovements relate to a certain known method of spacing carriers wherein thepower derived from the weight of the rope effect-s the engagement of the carrier with the cable or support; and it consists in coupling a series of carriers by a coupling mechanism which is disconnected bythe action of the weight ot' the rope-carrier when the carrier advances a certain distance.

ln the accompanying dra-wings, Figure lis aside view of an apparatus containing my improvements. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of the same. Fig. is an enlarged detail of a carrier, showing its two positions, respectively, when clai'nping and not clamping cable. Fig. a is an end view ot' the carrier. Fig. shows the inode of operation whereby adjacent carriers are nnlatched from each other.

1 is the head-support.

2 is the tail-support.

Il is the supporting-cable.

a is the endless traction-rope, fastened at both ends to the carriage 5 and driven by the drum G.

7 is the fall-rope, driven bythe drum 8 and extending over the fall-rope sheaves 9 and 10, journaled on the carriageand supporting the fall-block 11.

12 and 1.3 are the truck-wheels of the carriage, ruiming on the cable 3.

1l, 15, 1G, 17, and 418 are five rope-carriersA constructed alike. A description of one ropecarrier will serve for all. It consists of two side pieces d and joined together by the pins c and d. On the pin c is journaled a wheel e, running on the cable 3. On the pin d is journaled the sheavefforsupporting the fall-rope 7. g is a shoe secured to the frame and having the projection g',which is grooved, as shown in Fig. Ll, so as to tit the underside ot" the cable 8. This shoe projection is located. on the side toward the carriage 5 of the e andf. Projecting` from the carrier-frame.

on the opposite side of this imaginary line is a latch h, pivoted at t' and held against the stop j by the spring 7;. The carrier also con tains a pin Z, adapted to engage with the latch on the adjacent carrier. The carriage 5 contains a projection m, carrying a similar pivoted and spring-actuated latch it. A similar projection m is fixed on the front ot' each carrier to form a fulcrum for the adjacent carrier in its unlatching operation.

Vhen the carriage starts from the headsupport toward the tail-support, the latch ln. on the carriage is engaged with the pin Z on the adjacent carrier, and in succession the latch ou each carrier is engaged with the pin of the carrier next to it toward the head-support. The'center of gravity of each carrier is so located that when hanging on the wheel e the imaginary line e is normally inclined downwardly toward the head-support, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5 in full lines. In this position each latch is held in engagement with its cooperating pin, and each shoe g is held out of contact with the cable 3. Consequently so long as the carriers remain in this position they will not grip the cable, but will be hauled out on the span bythe carriage 5; but as the carriage advances the length of fall-rope between the head-support and the carrier nearest the head-support will increase until its weight shifts the center of gravity of the parts carried by the wheel e, producing a resultant force in the direction of the arrow y, Fig. 2, that swings the carrier into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, in which position the latch 7L is disengaged from the pin Z, and the shoe g grips the under side of the cable, so that the carrier no longer follows the carriage, but is left in a txed position to support the fall-rope. In swinging from the position shown in full lines to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5 the projection m from the front of carrier 16 will operate as the fulcrum for carrier but the inclination of the cable 3 will produce a sliding niotion between the carrier 15 and its fulcrum m, so that approximately the motion of the pin Z will be in the line of the arc 15b and of 4erly spaced along the cable.

the shoe g in the line of the arc 151'. This brings the point of the shoe gin contactwith the cable 3, so as to clamp the same before the lower end of the carrier 15 strikes the lower end ofthe carrier 16. Therefore the carrier 16 will not be swung into position to disengage itself from the latch of carrier 17 until sufficient rope hangs between it and the carrier 15, and therefore the disengagement of the carriers will occur consecutively at the proper intervals. The remaining carriers follow the carriage until another length of fallrope has been run out sufficient to produce a similar mode of operation upon the next carrier,which is then left in fixed position, gripping thecable withits shoe g. In this manner all of the carriers will be ultimately left prop- On the return of the carriage it will collect before it and return to the head-support all of the carriers. Each succeeding carrier of the series from the head-support toward the tail-support should have its center of gravity nearer to the imaginary line than the preceding one, so that the lengths of fall-rope left between each two carriers will decrease from the head-support toward the tail-support. In this Way each carrier will have a greater length of fall-rope to support on' the side toward the head-support than on the side toward the tail-support, and the effect will be for the resultant weight of the rope', acting in the direction of the arrow y, Fig. 2, to hold the shoe g of each carrier in contact with the cable.

I do not in this application intend to claim, broadly, the spacing of carriers by the weight of the rope. In this application I disclaim such an engagement between the carriage and rope-carrier as is shown in my patents numbered 458,183 and 521,035.

What I claim is- 1. In'a conveying apparatus in combination a carriage, a rope-carrier and a latch interposed between the carriage and the ropecarrier,'said latch being adapted for engagement while the carrier rests on the cable, substantially as described.

2. In a conveying apparatus, in combination, a carriage, a rope-carrier, a latch interposed between the carriage and the rope-carrier and means whereby said rope-carrier is adapted to clamp the upper and under sides of the cable, substantially as described.

3. In a conveying apparatus, in combina-- upon said abutment-s respectively, substantially as described.

5. In a conveying apparatus, in combination a series of rope-carriers and a series of latches interposed between every two of the rope-carriers, substantially as described.

G. In. a conveying apparatus in combination a carriage,y a rope-carrier, a latch interposed between the two and a shoe adapted to clutch the rope-carrier support, substantially as described.

7. In a conveying apparatus, in combination a series of rope-carriers,a series of latches interposed between every two ofthe same, and a series of shoes each of which is mounted upon one ot' the rope-carriers and adapted t clutch the support of the same.

S. A rope-carrier for a conveying apparatuscontaining, in combination, a member e adapted for pivotally supporting the rope-carrier upon a cable, and a member f adapted for supporting a fall-rope,and a latching member; the center of gravity of said fall-rope carrier being located at one side of the imaginary line drawn between said members e and f whereby when the carrier is supported upon the member e the position of said center of gravity will tend to incline said imaginary line from the vertical, substantially as described.

THOS. SPENCER MILLER.

IVitnesses:

L. R. CONNETT, J. S. FOSTER. 

